3.1.1.2 The structure and role of Parliament - S Flashcards
what is devolution
transfer of policy-makingpowes powers from the centre to subordinate, subnational institutions
powers of the Scottish devolved body
- most powerful (parliament)
- primary leg powers
- devolved laws and tax powers
powers of the Welsh assembly
- 2011 ref: primary leg on devolved matters
- 2017: tax raising powers
powers of the NI assembly
- has primary leg powers
- limited tax powers
scottish and welsh political power of at the time
- 1970s saw the growth of S and W nationalism
- plaid cymru and SNP made breakthrough gaining rep at Westminister
why did devolution not emerge during the 1970s
- there was a call for it due to disconnect with the UK political party
- 20% backed a Welsh assembly in 1979 Welsh referendum
- Scotland: 52% supported devolution but only 33% of the electorate, with 40% needed
why did devolution progress change after 1997
- after long periods of conservative government
- labour, LD, and key groups in scottish civil society supported devolution
- 1997: Blair held another W and S ref soon after 97 election –> 74% of scots wanted a S parl, and 64% wanted tax varying powers
- 50.3% voted yes to a W assemebly (50.1 turnout)
- devolution support far greater in S than W
what did the 1998 scotland act do
- Gave scotland primary leg authority over health, environment, education, economic development etc
- tax varying powers –> income tax variance by 3%
scotland act 2012
- can set the rate of income tax higher or lower than the rest of the UK from 2016 onwards
scotland act 2016
- can control income tax rates, keep 50% of VAT raised –> fiscal autonomy
- gave Scottish parliament control of 15 billion pounds
what are 3 main parts of the scottish parl
- members
- electoral system
- leaders
members and Sparl
- 129 MSPs elected by AMS
constituency members:
- 57% of total MSPs
- 73 MSPs elected by single members constituencies using FPTP
additional members:
- 56 MSPs, 43%
- voted using AMS (vote for individuals and a vote for parties)
- choose from party lists, 7 reps for 8 multi member regions
electoral system as Sparl
significance of PR
- FPTP to elect MSPs to constituencies
- AMS used for assembly elections
- additional members elected via PR (regional system) –> elected to parties on a corrective basis so seat distribution reflects the share of the vote
how often are elections held in Scotland
initially held every 4 years but extended to 5 after 2011 election (to make WM)
leaders of Sparl
- FIRST MINISTER - leader of the largest part
- labour coalition with LD from 1999-2007, but now SNP is governing party
- Nicola Sturgeon (2014) replaced alex salmond
- heads gov and appoints cabinet
what did people in favour of scottish independence argue
- people of Scotland were better placed to make decisions that affect Scotland
- highlighted economic and social policies that an SNP government would pursue
what was the SNPs vision
what reserved powers did they want
- independent scotland part of a ‘personal union’ within the UK
- retains the queen as the head of state and keeps the pound in a currency union in the UK
- scotland would have its own written constitution and full responsibility for welfare, foreign and defence policy
what were pro scottish unionist campaigns ?
why should scotland be satisfied with the devolution deal it has
- ‘better together’, from Labour, LD and Conservatives
- Scotland enjoyed extensive devolution as well as the economic political and cultural benefit of the union
- independence: damage scottish economy (treasury insisted no currency union)
- european commission warned that scotland would not become an EU member
results of the scottish independence
where were the supporters concentrated
18th sep 2014
- 55.3% ‘no’ vote
- 1.6 million voters (44.7%) supported independence (working class, deprived, under 55) . majority yes vote in:
1) glasgow
2) dundee
3) Dunbartonshire
4) north Lanarkshire
84.5% turnout
Scotland act 2016
why does scotland have the most devolved power in the UK
FISCAL POWERS
- - increases in taxes and duties
- control over income tax
- 50% of VAT
- control over the scottish franchise for parliament
- scotland has greater powers than subnational governments in many European states
why were the SNP dissatisfied with SA16
- not far enough for the SNP, falls short of ‘devomax’ –> SParl responsibility on fiscal (spending) powers, taxes and duties
how did the 2014 S ref influence brexit
- David cameron: saw ref as a win, pushed him for brexit, but lost
- scotland was mainly remain, but was taken out of the eu as part of the Uk
- increased support for independence
